Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled. (Deuteronomy 11:8-15)

The Blessings Of Obedience

God has always wanted to care for His children and give them the storehouse of His many blessings. He has so much to give. When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, everything they needed was provided. They could eat of every tree in the garden with the exception of the one forbidden tree. One tree. All the hundreds or thousands of trees in the garden and Satan used the one tree to bring man down. On God’s part, He provided an abundance of good things for Israel. The land of Canaan was promised before the people left Egypt. Rebelling at Kadesh-Barnea was an incredibly heart wrenching experience for the Lord because all the people had to do was to trust in Him and the Lord God would fight their battles for them. They refused and He punished them.

The Law of Moses specifically laid out the promises that God would provide all they needed and more if they would only obey. Their days would be long and the land would flow with milk and honey. There was no comparison to what the Hebrews experienced in Egypt. This land would produce great crops for them. The Lord would bring the rains throughout the year to fill the earth with nourishment. Grain would be in abundance, the new wine and oil plentiful. Obedience to the Lord would bring great blessings from the hand of the Great Provider and the people would never be in want. If the people would earnestly obey the commandments of the Lord, to love Him and serve Him with all their heart and souls then God would give them all these blessings and more. Who would not want to obey the Lord with these kinds of promises? The only thing the people had to do was to follow the will of God and He would take care of the rest. Sadly this would not be the case.

Israel conquered the land and prospered under the hand of the Lord. In time, the heart of the people turned from the Lord as they trusted in themselves and desiring to be like the nations around them followed after the gods of the world. The Law of Moses became a foreign book to them and they forgot the law of God. Israel became a corrupt and evil nation (like the nations around them) and the blessings of the Lord dried up. Instead of the land flowing with milk and honey, Israel became a byword and a hiss as the land was destroyed by other nations. There was no joy in the land and the rains seldom came. All they had to do was to obey the Lord and He would bless them beyond their imaginations. They refused and so did God.

The greatest tragedy of sin is man seeks to find his happiness in himself instead of allowing the Lord to bless him. Obedience to God always comes with blessings. His promises do not provide the physical blessings as clearly as He promised the nation of Israel but obedience will always bring a reward from the Lord. Godliness is a way of life that will keep the heart from the suffering endured by the ungodly. Purity leads to decisions that will keep one from the pain of impurity and lascivious living. Sexual immorality will reap what is sown. Abstaining from every form of evil will bless a person’s life with a greater reward here and in the world to come. Righteousness exalts the spirit of a man because he obeys the word of God. There are more blessings in obedience than pleasures in disobedience.

Keeping the commandments of the Lord is not burdensome. The promise that God will bless those who obey His commandments, to love the Lord God and serve Him with all the heart and with all the soul are found in the covenant of Christ. There will be greater contentment, joy, happiness and promise in a life devoted to serving the will of God. It will bring greater blessings in this life and especially in the life to come. His promises still hold true. If we obey God He will bless us. When we turn away from God to serve the gods of this world He will remove His blessings. The choice is yours.